IUPUI made it back to the postseason again in 2009-2010 after finishing second
in the Summit League. It was not the NCAA Tournament appearance they were hoping
for, but a 25 win season is nothing to scoff at. This time around the Jaguars
will have to find some new players to fill in at the frontcourt spots now that
Jon Avery, Robert Glenn and Billy Pettiford are gone.

Key Losses:
F Jon Avery, F Robert Glenn, F Billy Pettiford

Key Newcomers:

This was a team
that was frontcourt heavy last year, so this class helps to even things out a
little bit. While the Jaguars need to find another big man, only two of the
newcomers are forwards or centers. Donovan Gibbs, a 6-7 McDonald’s All-America
nominee, could be ready to play a significant role on this team. At 6-9 and 245
pounds, fellow freshman Mitchell Patton is the future interior force at IUPUI.
It may take him a little time to get his offensive game going, but Patton could
be a good rebounder and shot blocker right away. The lone incoming freshman for
the backcourt is shooting guard P.J. Hubert. He will likely have the luxury of
learning from the sidelines for a year especially with the influx of perimeter
depth added by Nick Kitcoff and Stephen Thomas. Kitcoff is a junior college
transfer who redshirted last year and, at 6-7, has the size to be an interesting
small forward. Thomas is a transfer from Dayton who never saw too much action
with the Flyers, but has the potential to be a very talented scorer.

Backcourt:

The star of the backcourt is John Ashworth. While the point guard did not do
much scoring last season, he is a superb ballhandler and ended the 2009-2010
campaign with a 2.1 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio. This year Coach Ron Hunter
may have to get Ashworth more into a scoring mode. Ashworth is a capable outside
shooter and he can drive the lane effectively, but now he may have to finish
himself instead of always looking for one of his teammates first. Leroy Nobles
will likely move from the two guard spot to the three spot due to lack of other
options in the frontcourt. That leaves a hole at the shooting guard position
that Greg Rice, Sean Esposito or one of the newcomers will need to fill. Rice
only played in 11 games during his freshman campaign, but when he was healthy he
was doing quite well. Esposito is also a sophomore and he has a little more
playing time under his belt.

Frontcourt:

For about a year
and a half Alex Young has been playing off of the success of Robert Glenn. He
ranked second to Glenn in scoring as a freshman and sophomore. Now as an
upperclassman he will have to do it on his own. However, late last season it
became apparent that Young was not just successful because of Glenn and he was
emerging as a star in his own right. That will become painfully obvious to
Summit League opponents this season. Young, who averaged 18.3 points and 4.5
rebounds last season, is a superb outside shooter for a 6-6 forward and
connected on two per game at nearly a 40 percent clip. Young may spend more time
at the power forward position this year and his ability to hit the outside shot
will really stretch out the opposing defense. The key now is to find a big man
who can at least block some shots and hit the glass. That may end up being one
of the newcomers, but Christian Siakam has been quietly sitting on the bench and
it is time for the 6-7, 245 pound junior to show if he can play some real
minutes.

Who to Watch:

Nobles will still
be the shooter on the perimeter whether he starts at the two or three spot. He
shot 42.2 percent from long range last year and against small two guards in the
Summit League, the 6-5 senior had little trouble shooting over his defender.
Nobles is also a solid rebounder and that will be very important early in the
year while the frontcourt adjusts to their new look.

Final Projection:

Coach Hunter has worked some miracles before, but this group has a couple holes
to fill that will not be easily filled. Ashworth, Nobles and Young are a great
trio to build around and those three will make sure IUPUI is in the conference
title hunt, but some other players really need to step up if the Jaguars want to
win the conference or make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

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About Joel Welser

ColumnistCollege Preview Editor

Contactjwelser@collegehoops.net

Background

"Joel Welser does a tremendous job covering college basketball. He gives his readers knowledgeable and insightful information on college hoops." -Ernie Zeigler, Head Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University "Joel Welser writes clean, knowledgeable copy that always hits deadline." -Greg Eno, former editor-in-chief, Motor City Sports Magazine Growing up in Michigan, Joel Welser inherited a love for Big Ten sports. After defying all family traditions and not going to Michigan State, Joel headed out west to earn his bachelor degree from California State University, Northridge in Cinema Television Arts, specializing in screenwriting. For reasons still unknown, after his stint in Hollywood, Joel headed back to Michigan where he remains to this day complaining about the cold. Joel has found a successful formula with the popular top 144 series at collegehoops.net and has also written college football and college basketball previews and articles for various websites and magazines.